I Promise... I Promise..." "I am your God. When you have studied this chapter and prayed about it, I will meet with you. You will not have to ask me. I will tell you what to do. I will tell you how to apply what you have read and learned in your daily life. You will have a sense of the joy, peace, and freedom that only comes when you know and love me. My Spirit inside of you will help me bring you the things you need for the difficult times, times when evil attacks, and times when my people are wandering lost and alone." "The first covenant was like the blood you gave at the Last Supper. It sealed the pact between us. The blood was like an invisible bond, made of spirit but not visible. The bond was there, yet you were not bound. You were still you, and so were I. The bond existed but you were free. At the Last Supper I said to my disciples, 'One of you will betray me.' That's why Jesus said, 'One of you will betray me.' But in a way, all of you did. The same ones who would be rejected in a way betrayed me and the church. This is why I said, 'This is how I choose to be betrayed.'" The Teacher talked about Jesus' death. "He trusted that the Father would provide a way for the world to be put back into order through his death. All of this happened while you were watching and waiting. For your part in this tragedy, you could have stopped it from happening by turning from sin, repenting, and believing the Good News." "Do you see, children? God is able to save you, if you believe in him. You can’t believe in him if you refuse to accept me as your God and Savior. You need to know that your God and mine are the same. This life is so unfair. It has brought suffering, pain, and sorrow to you. There are people who like to see you suffer." "There were a few people like this in the first covenant. These were the Scribes, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees. When the first covenant ended, I took some people away from those groups and formed a new one. I called them, The Church. But I didn’t create a new group just for some people to keep things the same. I didn’t make a separate building or buildings for them to meet in. I wanted them to meet with me in a way that was new and unheard of. They wanted a new place where they could enjoy my presence. They wanted to experience my blessing and favor. That was the only way they would be able to experience me." "You and I cannot be separate from each other. However, we also can’t be apart. I know that hurts you. That’s why the church was founded and exists so that you could learn how to deal with these difficult situations. It’s why you are here now. You are going to face some difficult times in your life. You will find that your desire to run away from the situations will not work. You will fail when the going gets tough. You will find that it is easier to run and leave than it is to come back and trust me. I know because I was there before. I know that when you run, it leaves a void. The void never goes away." "Your life is more than food and drink. You need more than the basic food that you eat. Life, itself, is a gift from God. It’s up to you to make the most out of it, to not be like some people who go through life with your hands tied behind your back." "I want you to think of your future more carefully. Don’t become so attached to the things of this world that you are missing out on the great and wonderful things that my plan has for you. I want to make a place for you at my right hand. That is what I want. I want to help you in every way that I can." "I didn’t come to be the biggest, loudest, and most important one in the crowd. I didn’t come to have that power over your lives. I came to be one of you, to live among you, and to die for you. I came to stand among you and speak in a human voice, not a human voice that humans can hear or understand. I came to tell you things that you need to know and to show you things you need to do." "How can you be happy? What can you do with what I have told you?" "Do you know how to love? Can you love your neighbor? Can you love them just as well as you love yourself?" "Don’t you believe that I sent Jesus to die for you? Don’t you believe that Jesus suffered for your sins? Don’t you believe that because Jesus died that I can forgive your sins and help you face the difficulties that life will bring? I made all of this happen. I can make your prayers come true. Don’t look at this as a test. It’s just a small sign of my desire to be your God. You can see the good I am doing for you and for all of creation." "Can you still reject me and say that you don’t know me? Can you still turn away from me? Don’t you see me? Can you really close your eyes and ears and not know me? If I were to die right now, wouldn’t that be too bad? Wouldn’t you be really sorry? If that’s true, then know that I am there, and it’s up to you to respond to my presence. The truth is that you will not be able to deal with the things that will face you in the future without me." "The truth is, you cannot be the son of God without accepting me as your God. You cannot see me and live, without accepting me as your God." "So what does the second commandment say?" "Again, I want you to listen carefully. The Good News is not something that you can choose to believe or not believe." "It’s not something that you can reject, or that you can accept. It’s not something that you can give or take away. It is only something that is given to you by God. It’s only there because he wants to give it to you. He wants you to have the opportunity to come to him. He wants you to know that he is there for you and in you." "You cannot reject me and still expect to be invited into heaven. You cannot refuse to obey me and still expect to be accepted by me." "I’m not saying that you can’t decide to leave me. There is nothing wrong with that. Some people can and do decide to leave me. But when you do so, you make it harder on yourself. You’ll never be able to live without thinking about me. I will always be with you." "I see you. I have always seen you. I know that there are many things you haven’t told me. But I know you well enough to know that you are good. It’s only because you don’t know what I know that you do the things you do and that you say the things that you say." "I have so much love for you that it hurts me. I am sorry for the times when I hurt you and the times when I failed to be there for you. I know what you need and how difficult your life is. I know how hard it can be for you. If you truly know me, then I hope you know how sorry I am. I will never stop trying to help you to do better, and I will always care for you. I will always be with you." "Children, don’t run away. Don’t turn away from me. If you come back to me, you will find me there. I will accept you and forgive you. I will love you. I’ll never stop loving you. When you come back to me, all the suffering and rejection you’ve endured will go away. You will begin a new life that is better than anything you can imagine. Even now, my Spirit inside of you wants to encourage you, help you, and comfort you." "I have given my Spirit to you that you might know me. I want my Spirit to always be with you. I want you to never turn your back on me. You will find me always at your side."